1. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Over the last 50 years the way we buy food has changed. In the past, some food items were usually sold ‘loose’ and taken home in a paper bag. Due to advances in technology, most food items are now sold pre-packed. Food products often have a long journey from the initial manufacturer until finally being eaten by consumers. They must be stored in warehouses before being transported and distributed to retailers. They are then likely to be stacked in more warehouses before being sold. At all these stages the product may be damaged by careless handling or changes in storage conditions such as light, humidity and temperature. The aim of packaging is to contain the product and keep it intact. This means that liquid products do not leak and that dry materials, such as flour, do not spill out. It is sometimes necessary to design packaging that is shaped especially to contain a particular food, e.g. egg boxes, so that the product is held securely and well protected from damage. Food packaging

2. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Major part of food production Foundation The packaging of fresh and any other food products is a major factor in food production for numerous reasons: Food hygiene – people handling fresh foods before purchase, causing damage and transfer of bacteria. The need to prevent wastage and food spoilage, for the producer and consumer alike. Packaging design is vital for the five P’s = Preservation, Presentation, Prevention of tampering, Protection, Promotion. (Any discussion relating to these points will gain marks in the examination) The food industry relies heavily upon the work of packaging designers, providing employment and income when good designs are patented and sold to other companies and parts of the world. The desire for fresh soft fruits – numerous recipes that contain them, bright colours and sweet, sharp taste, five a day, phyto-chemicals, anti-oxidants, nutritional value. Issues relating to the environment, such as raw materials to produce packaging, air miles if foods are to be transported across the world, recycling, biodegradable etc. (see further info later) Consumer expectations – the fact that consumers are now used to effective packaging for delicate foods. They want to be able to see the food before they buy it; they want it to be stored correctly, easy to transport home and store in a fridge or freezer.

3. © Food – a fact of life 2012 The purpose of packaging The aims of packaging include: Protection - Packaging protects foods from: Physical damage during transportation and storage The effects of temperature changes, insect or rodent attacks, mould growth etc. Packaging guarantees food safety and hygiene. prevent contamination from micro-organisms and pollution dehydration or dampness protect the product’s nutritional and sensory characteristics Containing – Packaging contains the contents: so that they can be transported, stored and displayed easily. can make awkwardly shaped products easy to handle.

4. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Preserving – Packaging can be part of the preservation process such as tin cans and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) help to increase a product’s shelf life Identification/information – Packaging describes and identifies the contents and provide information Good packaging design gives a brand image and links other products in the range. Orange, yellow and blue are popular packaging colours. Preventing Tampering – Packaging helps stop the tampering of goods. It’s almost impossible to make packaging tamperproof, but it can be designed so that it’s obvious if the package has been opened.

5. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Labelling Packaging is also designed to be visually stimulating and provide information about the product to help the customer. The information supplied must cover: the name of the food the weight/volume (metric) (unless under 5g) the list of ingredients in descending order of weight how the food should be stored, where appropriate the date when the food should be eaten genetically modified ingredients and allergens the name and address of manufacturer or distributor nutrition information on the back of pack (from 2016 onwards). The manufacturer may choose to provide extra information, e.g. preparation and cooking instructions, the place the food comes from and a bar code to identify the food. The overall design of packaging, from its shape to the style of writing used, indicate the type of product it contains and for whom it is intended. It may also use ‘graphical’ tricks to give a sense of quality, e.g. that it has been hand made.

6. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Consumer information Food assurance schemes have been developed to compliment food legislation. They cover the food chain from farm to fork. An example is the Red Tractor food assurance scheme It covers: cereals, oilseeds, pulses and sugar; fruit, vegetables and salad; milk; chicken; beef, lamb and pig meat. Multi-ingredient products must contain at least 65% Red Tractor certified ingredients to be labelled as Red Tractor products. The Red Tractor logo can only be used to label ingredients from farmers, growers and food processors that have been inspected and certified to strict standards. Detailed technical standards that cover: - food safety: makes sure your food is safe to eat - animal welfare: makes sure animals have everything they need for a good quality of life - environment: makes sure farmers protect the countryside by preventing pollution of watercourses, soil, air and wildlife habitat - traceability: every part of the food supply chain is inspected to ensure food carrying the logo is accounted for and can be traced back to UK farms.

7. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Packaging design When designing packaging it is important to consider the following: Is it easy to handle and open? Is it a convenient shape, so it is easy to stack? Which colours will be used on the packaging? What size of print should be used?(Can consumers read it easily?) Will it be economical to produce? What about environmental considerations? (Will it be recyclable or does it make minimum use of natural resources?) Increased rates of production during the last few decades have made it necessary to use different methods and materials to pack and protect food products. However, other factors also determine the choice of materials used, especially in relation to food hygiene and safety. For example, the material must be suitable for the food, as some chemicals present in the food or packaging may react together.

8. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Example: Food cans Cans were traditionally made from tin plate sheet, but now more commonly aluminium is used (for drinks). The inside of the can is often sheet coated with lacquers to prevent the cans rusting and reacting with the contents, especially acidic foods. Example: Paper, board and foil Paper, board and foil are commonly used to package foods. Board used for food packaging is often coated with a wax of polythene to prevent interaction with contents. Most paper or board should be discarded before heating, but some products frozen on specially treated board may be cooked in microwave ovens. Foil trays are suitable for both freezing and heating in conventional ovens.

9. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Examples: Plastics Food packaging uses a wide range of both rigid and flexible plastic materials including: polythene – low density is used as a film wrapping, resistant to water. High density is used for ‘boil-in-the-bag’ products; polyamide (nylon) – provides a very good barrier to oxygen, so used for vacuum packaging, especially for foods containing fat (which can be susceptible to oxidation). polyethlene terephthalate (PET) rigid plastic bottles, light-weight, little risk of breakage and keep the fizz in carbonated drinks; polystyrene – expanded polythene used for trays and insulated containers to keep food products cold, e.g. ice cream and sorbets or hot, e.g. coffee, soup and burgers. Example: Cellulose films Cellulose films are used for different types of food packaging, because they have a range of characteristics such as different degrees of moisture proofing. Some cellulose films are heat sealable. They can be used, for example, as window patches in cartons.

10. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Example: Glass Glass has been used for food packaging for a long time but tougher, light–weight containers, sometimes protected by a sleeve of expanded polystyrene have been developed more recently. However, glass is still very popular and is used exclusively for many products, e.g. jam. Example: Modified atmosphere packaging Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is a technique used to lengthen the shelf-life of food products of minimally processed or fresh foods. The air surrounding the food in the package is changed to reduce the activity of microorganisms. Meat, fish, fruits and vegetables often use the method during packaging. Equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) is most commonly used for cut fresh-cut produce.

11. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Chilling foods can have a preservative effect by retarding microbial activity. However, the shelf-life of a chilled product can be increased by modifying the gases surrounding the food. M odified A tmosphere P ackaging is also known as ' C ontrolled A tmosphere P ackaging CAP '. It is the enclosure of a food e.g. bacon, in a package in which the atmosphere has been changed by altering the proportions of carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, water vapour and trace gases. Food is consequently preserved in sealed gas flushed packaging. The process limits microbial as well as biochemical activity. A wide variety of products are gas flushed, typical products: Fresh and processed meat/poultry, fish and seafood, cheese, milk powder, ready meals, fresh pasta, fruit and vegetables, salad leaves Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and ambient foods

12. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Air is removed and replaced by a controlled mixture of gases. The ratio of these gasses depends upon the food being packaged. In the packs the oxygen level can be lowered or the carbon dioxide level or nitrogen levels increased. - CO2 slows the growth of bacteria. - Oxygen helps retain the colour of the food, e.g. meat stays red - Nitrogen is used to reduce the rate of oxidation (e.g. fruit and vegetables going brown) The food is prepared and placed in the container. The container is then flushed with the selected gas for the food type and is then hermetically sealed. MAP is often carried out in conjunction with chilling in the case of chilled meals or prepared salads. Once the packaging is opened the food has a normal shelf life and must be stored accordingly. The packaging used must be non reactive and sufficiently strong to resist damage through piercing or splitting. The most commonly used materials are plastics, which may be ovenable, with a film cover.

13. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Thermoplastic polymers Nearly all packaging for this process is based on thermoplastic polymers. The reasons for this are that they: have greater flexibility, i.e. can be formed into different shapes are light in weight provide a gas barrier can be sealed easily can be printed on are resistant to physical pressures of manufacturing, distributing and retailing have good aesthetic properties can be multi-layered with other materials to enhance overall properties.

14. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Proportion of gases in packaging

15. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Proportion of gases

16. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Vacuum packaging Vacuum packing is a method of packaging that removes all air/oxygen from the package prior to sealing, so that the organisms requiring it to reproduce are inhibited (thus extending shelf life). This method involves (manually or automatically) placing items in a plastic film package, removing air from inside, and sealing the package. Shrink film is sometimes used to have a tight fit to the contents. The flexible package forms reduce the volume of the contents and package The materials used for vacuum packing should be resistant to piercing and splitting, but equally, be resilient to the process and able to comfortably form around the food. Suitable materials for vacuum packing dry goods are foil packages, e.g. ground coffee and nuts or robust plastics, suitable for storage in a refrigerator, e.g. for cooked meats or smoked fish. The material should be non-reactive with the food.

17. © Food – a fact of life 2012 It is commonly used to store dry foods over a long period of time, such as cereals, nuts, cured meats, cheese, smoked fish, coffee, and potato chips. On a more short term basis, vacuum packing can also be used to store fresh foods, such as vegetables, meats and liquids, because it inhibits bacterial growth. It would normally not be suitable for delicate food that need to be kept intact and might be crushed by the vacuum packing process e.g. berries, cakes etc. delicate food items If vacuum packaging food in the home, the food should be eaten within ten days. The packet should be sealed and left in the fridge until it is eaten to keep it safe. Once the packaging is opened, it should still be kept in the fridge like other chilled foods and eaten within two days.

18. © Food – a fact of life 2012 Ambient food products Ambient foods are those which are stored and sold at room temperature. Canned and aseptically packaged foods are examples of ambient products, e.g. ready meals, fruit juices, UHT milk. They are intended to have a long shelf-life, and undergo rigorous heat treatment to destroy potentially harmful microorganisms. Pasteurisation and sterilisation are the two main heat processes used. Some ambient foods are not heat treated, e.g. cereals. Only harmless micro-organisms can be allowed to survive processing treatment. Canned fruit juice, which may contain spore-forming bacteria, will be safe as long as the pH is low enough to ensure the bacterial growth could not occur. Low-acidic foods undergo a rigorous heat treatment known as the ‘Botulinum cook’ – to reduce the numbers of clostridium botulinum spores to a safe level. This is because these spores are very resistant to heat. Ambient foods, such as cereals, rice and pulses must be stored carefully. The moisture content for each needs to be kept low to prevent mould and yeast spoilage.